Masonic bodies

Diagram of two major masonic bodies in the United States

There are many organisations and Orders which form part of the widespread fraternity of Freemasonry, each having its own structure and terminology. Collectively these may be referred to as Masonic bodies, Masonic orders or appendant bodies (or orders) of Freemasonry.

Overview of relationships between masonic organizations

The basic unit of Freemasonry is the Masonic Lodge, which alone can "make" (initiate) a Freemason. Such lodges are controlled by a Grand Lodge with national or regional authority for all lodges within its territory. A masonic lodge confers the three masonic degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft (or Fellow Craft), and Master Mason.[1]

Whilst there is no degree in Freemasonry higher than that of Master Mason, there are additional degrees that are offered only to those who are Master Masons. Most of these are controlled by their own "Grand" bodies (independent from the Grand Lodge).

The United Grand Lodge of England (which has no direct authority over other Grand Lodges, but as the world's oldest Grand Lodge, has a historical influence in terms of regularity and practice) defines "pure, ancient Freemasonry" as consisting of the three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason, plus the supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch.[2]

The degree of the Holy Royal Arch is of great antiquity, and has a special importance in many masonic systems, including those of all three of the oldest 'Constitutions' (masonic authorities), namely the Grand Lodges of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in all of which it is considered (by varying constitutional definitions) to be the completion of the mainstream masonic structure.[3][4]

A number of other organisations, most of which are known as 'masonic' or have a title identifying themselves as masonic, require candidates for membership to be a Master Mason in "good standing" (subscriptions paid, and not under any form of discipline). In some countries, notably the United States of America, the Scottish Rite and the York Rite are the two principal routes available. In other countries, notably England, Scotland, Ireland, and many of the countries of the Commonwealth, a large number of 'stand-alone' Orders and Degrees exist, without the umbrella organisation of a "rite".[5] Some of these masonic bodies use numbers as an informal way of referring to or identifying the degrees they confer, but the most important and therefore "highest" degree is always the third, or Degree of Master Mason. These other masonic bodies (sometimes known as 'additional degrees' or 'side degrees') are optional pursuits for those who wish to take their masonic membership and activity beyond the three degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason.

In some countries, notably the United States of America, there are also organizations affiliated with Freemasonry which admit both Master Masons and non-Masons who have some relation to a Master Mason, such as the Order of the Eastern Star, International Order of Job's Daughters (Job's Daughters International) and the Order of the Amaranth. Still other affiliated organizations like the Order of DeMolay and the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls admit non-Masons and have no requirement that an applicant be related to a Master Mason. These associated organisations for non-masons are only rarely encountered in European Freemasonry.

History

Sometime before 1730, a trigradal system (that is, a system of three grades or degrees) started to emerge in Freemasonry, which quickly became the standard system in the lodges of England, Ireland and Scotland. This seems to have been accomplished by the rearrangement and expansion of the original bigradal system, particularly by the elaboration of the Hiramic legend, and its full exposition in the third degree, that of a Master Mason.[6] The emergence, in the 1740s, of "chivalric" degrees on the continent may be linked to the deliberate "gentrification" of Freemasonry in Chevalier Ramsay's Oration of 1737.[7]

The formation of the Royal Arch occurred in the same period, developing the Hiramic theme with the rediscovery of the secrets lost with the death of the master builder. The Premier Grand Lodge of England (the "Moderns") remained ambivalent about the new rite, probably because its secret word remained in their own third degree.[6][8] The Moderns' supporters of the new rite formed their own Grand Chapter, probably in 1765. There is evidence that the official date of 1767 is the result of the alteration of the foundation document, to save Lord Blayney the embarrassment of founding a controversial organisation while he was still the Moderns' Grand Master.[9] The prime mover in the formation of the Grand Chapter was Caledonian Lodge, a lodge of Scottish Masons which had just joined the Moderns from the Ancients, and whose members included William Preston.[10]

In 1751, as the Moderns increasingly alienated unaffiliated lodges, a few (mainly Irish) lodges in London formed the Antient Grand Lodge of England (the "Antients"), which rapidly became an umbrella organisation for unaffiliated lodges in England. Their second secretary, Laurence Dermott, believed the Royal Arch to be the fourth degree.[11] When the two Grand Lodges merged in 1813, Article Two of the Articles of Union agreed that "pure Antient Masonry consists of three Degrees and no more, viz., those of the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft and the Master Mason, including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch".[12] Grand Chapter remained, and other degrees must from this time be administered by separate Masonic Bodies.

The period from 1740 to 1813 saw a host of Masonic rites, orders and degrees emerge. These new rituals enlarged the scope of Masonry and encompassed many elaborations, some of which included elements which had previously been practiced within the craft. Many rites proved to be transient and died out (some being no more than a written record without evidence of having been practiced), but some proved more resilient and survived.[7]

Recognition

Different Masonic jurisdictions vary in their relationships with appendant bodies, if any. Some offer formal recognition, while others consider them wholly outside of Freemasonry. This leads to some such bodies not being universally considered as appendant bodies, but rather separate organizations that happen to require Masonic affiliation for membership.

Membership

Each Masonic body sets its own Membership requirements, which vary greatly. Many of these, especially those that actually confer additional Masonic degrees and orders, limit membership to Master Masons only. Others require the candidate to either be a Master Mason or have a familial relationship to one. Some require the candidate to be a Trinitarian Christian, which is more religiously specific than Craft Masonry, which accepts candidates of any faith as long as they declare a belief in a Supreme Being. Others require prior membership of other groups, or having held specific office in a group.

Membership is sometimes open, and sometimes invitational. In the United States, the York and Scottish Rites make petitions available to all Master Masons but reserve the right to reject petitioners, while other groups, such as the Knight Masons, require that one be asked to join by a current member.

Rites, orders, and degrees

England & Wales

Organisation of Masonic appendant bodies in England and Wales

In England and Wales, after the degrees of craft freemasonry, there are a large number of separately administered degrees and orders open only to craft freemasons. Under the English Constitution, the Holy Royal Arch is the only degree formally recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) beyond the three degrees of craft freemasonry. Other orders and degrees are however referred to and acknowledged by the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, and all their members are necessarily masons subject to the English Constitution. Of Masonic appendant bodies, the following are among the most popular:

Scotland

In Freemasonry in Scotland, after the three degrees of craft freemasonry most Master Masons are advanced as Mark Master Masons.

In the Scottish Masonic jurisdiction, the degree of Mark Master can be received in two ways, either within a Royal Arch Chapter or within a Craft Lodge. No freemason under the Scottish jurisdictions can be exalted as a Royal Arch Mason without previously having been advanced as a Mark Master Mason and then having taken the degree of Excellent Master. The governing bodies are the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland.

A number of other orders are open to craft freemasons, of which the following are notable in Scotland:

United States

In the United States there are two main Masonic appendant bodies:

Other Appendant bodies:

Canada

In Canada there are two main Masonic appendant bodies:

Ireland

In Ireland, after the Craft degrees conferred under the authority of the Grand Lodge of Ireland there are a number of degrees and orders that are administered separately and are open to Master Masons either by petition or by invitation.

Invitational Degrees

Nordic Europe

In Scandinavia and the Nordic states, including Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Finland, Freemasonry exists mostly in the form of the Swedish Rite.

France

The French Rite is strong in France, Luxembourg, Greece, Brazil, and formerly Louisiana.[13][14]

Other orders and degrees

The following affiliated and/or appendant bodies confer Masonic degrees. Those who petition or are invited to membership must be at least Master Masons, although each body may have additional qualifications for membership:

Other affiliated bodies

Tall Cedars of Lebanon ot Tall Cedar, are organized into "Forests" and meet at Masonic Temples or banquets halls. Some refer to themselves as the "poor man's Shriners", their motto is "Fun, Frolic & Fellowship", and members wear a pyramid shaped hat.

The following affiliated organizations admit both Masons and female relatives of Masons:

Youth organizations

A number of Masonic-affiliated youth organizations exist, mainly in North America, which are collectively referred to as Masonic youth organizations.

References

  1. ↑ Coil, Henry Wilson; "Degrees," pp. 165–168; Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia; 1961, 1996, Macoy Publ. Co., Richmond, Va. ISBN 0-88053-054-5
  2. ↑ Declaration prefaced to the Book of Constitutions of the United Grand Lodge of England.
  3. ↑ Aims and Relationships of the Craft
  4. ↑ In the United Kingdom, Article II of the 1813 Articles of Union between the "Antients" and "Moderns" declared that the Holy Royal Arch degree is the completion of the Master Mason degree.
  5. ↑ Jackson, Keith B. Beyond the Craft: The Indispensable Guide to Masonic Orders Practised in England and Wales, 2005. ISBN 0-85318-248-5
  6. 1 2 Douglas Knoop, "The Genesis of Freemasonry", chapters 9-13, Manchester University Press, 1947
  7. 1 2 Robert L.D. Cooper, Cracking the Freemason's Code,pp 128-132, Rider 2006
  8. ↑ Mackey's article on Jehovah retrieved 14 September 2012
  9. ↑ John Hamill, The Lord Blayney Mystery, Freemasonry Today, No 17, Spring 2012, p.26
  10. ↑ Camberley Lodge A.D. Matthews, An Historical Perspective on The Holy Royal Arch, Lecture July 2009, retrieved 18 September 2012
  11. ↑ Pietre-Stones The Fourth Degree in the Craft, Yasha Beringer, retrieved 19 July 2012
  12. ↑ Pietre-Stones Facsimile of Articles of Union, retrieved 20 July 2012
  13. ↑ http://www.masonicdictionary.com/rites.html
  14. ↑ http://www.themasonictrowel.com/Articles/Symbolism/rituals_files/rituals_7_doors_to_freemasonry.htm
  15. ↑ http://iroj.org
  16. ↑ The Organization of Triangles website, accessed 11 November 2014
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